Turning Data into Actionable Insights

Organizations understand the value of capturing and analyzing their workforce data to support people and business decisions, but they still struggle to do it effectively. Mercer’s 2014 Metrics, Analytics, and Technology Snapshot Survey, conducted among 180 respondents in 145 organizations predominantly in Europe, shows that most organizations have access to at least some workforce data, but encounter issues around its application and interpretation due to lack of adequate processes, systems, and resources.

“The promise of workforce analytics is not being realized by many organizations because they are drowning in the data,” says Julia Howes, a Principal in Mercer’s Talent business in London. “Just because you can measure it, doesn’t mean you should.”

“Instead,” she notes, “organizations need to spend as much time on creating a workforce reporting strategy: defining a clear roadmap of what insights are needed by the business, what data and systems will support those insights, and what capabilities are needed to interpret the insights once they are reported. By starting with a clear and targeted understanding of what the end-state needs to be, organizations will get to insights much faster.”